Organ Donation Week - 3 to 9 September 2018

Organ Donation Week promotes organ donation across the UK and asks people to sign the national Organ Donation Register (ODR), to register their wishes and share their decision with their families.

Key reasons why organ donation is so important:

In the event of your death your wishes are very important, your family may be asked what you would have wanted to do if you are a suitable organ donor. Make that decision easier for them by letting them know, in life, the you want to donate your organs to help save someone else upon your death.

One donor may save and transform the lives of up to 9 people through organ transplants.

Anyone up to the age of 85 may be an organ donor upon their death, if they are medically suitable and are on life support prior to their death, either in Critical Care Unit or an Emergency Department.

Medical & Nursing Staff will refer a patient who may be a potential organ donor to a team of regional Specialist Nurses for assessment. These Specialist Nurses will approach the issue of organ donation with a family if the patient is thought to be medically suitable.

A patient may have registered their wishes about this on the ODR, which can help a family know they are doing the right thing by saying yes to donation. A family may also know the persons wishes from discussions had in their lifetime about organ donation. So it is important to talk to a person’s family to understand their wishes. A family have the final say on whether donation goes ahead or not.

The NHS Organ Donation website www.organdonation.nhs.uk is packed full of useful information about organ donation, organ transplants and the ODR, including FAQ’s.

It takes just two minutes to join the Organ Donation Register, either on-line via www.organdonation.nhs.uk or via phone using the Organ Donor Line: 0300 123 23 23